Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced on Monday that 59-year-old attorney Paul Robinson has been charged with concealing evidence and obstructing an investigation into a cocaine trafficking ring allegedly involving his son and other Penn State University students. Robinson, a managing attorney at a Pittsburgh law firm, was arrested alongside his son, Thomas Robinson, and 12 other current or former students. Investigators allege the ring operated out of the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternity houses during 2023 and 2024.
The charges follow a grand jury investigation into the sale of cocaine to students at the university. According to Attorney General Sunday, fraternity members and pledges allegedly cut and packaged the drugs inside their fraternity houses. Thomas Robinson, identified by authorities as a secondary leader of the operation, allegedly sold cocaine to a confidential informant on six occasions between September and December 2024. Authorities reported seizing 73.8 grams of cocaine from Robinson’s room and controlled purchases.
Paul Robinson is accused of taking steps to hide a safe containing cash and drugs to obstruct the police investigation. His employer, Meyer Darragh Buckler Bebeneck & Eck, issued a statement noting they are reviewing the circumstances but emphasized that the allegations concern Robinson individually and not the firm or its clients. Robinson was granted an unsecured $1 million bail on Monday due to work obligations. The alleged leader of the ring, 24-year-old Agostino Abatiello, surrendered to authorities and was arraigned Tuesday.
The scale of the alleged operation involves dozens of individual drug transactions documented by investigators, including 73.8 grams of cocaine seized from a single student's room. At the professional level, the case involves a senior managing attorney at a established Pittsburgh law firm, whose $1 million bail reflects the gravity of the obstruction charges. The Attorney General’s office stated that fraternity pledges—students often in their first or second year of college—were allegedly tasked with processing cocaine, indicating that the activity was integrated into the day-to-day operations of the Greek organizations during the 2023-2024 academic years.
The knock-on effects of these arrests may include disciplinary actions by Penn State University against the fraternities involved, potentially leading to the suspension or permanent removal of their charters. It also sets a legal precedent regarding the liability of parents who are accused of interfering with active criminal investigations involving their adult children. What happens next includes the continuation of judicial proceedings for all 14 defendants. Agostino Abatiello is currently being held without bail, while the other defendants await further court dates to determine the outcome of the charges.